Photo: Alamy
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Monday that former U.S. President Donald Trump will receive the 2025 Israel Prize, marking the first time in 80 years the nation’s highest civilian honor has gone to an American.
The announcement came during a joint news conference at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, where the two leaders also discussed Iran’s nuclear ambitions and efforts to sustain a fragile ceasefire in Gaza.
President Trump warned Tehran against rebuilding its nuclear program, saying Iran would face swift military action if it resumed enrichment activities. “Now I hear that Iran is trying to build up again,” the president told reporters. “And if they are, we’re going to have to knock them down. We’ll knock the hell out of them. But hopefully that’s not happening.”
The warning follows U.S. strikes in June that destroyed Iran’s nuclear enrichment sites. Israeli officials, however, have expressed concern that Iran may be rebuilding its long-range missile stockpiles.
Netanyahu, who met earlier Monday with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, was expected to discuss possible future military action against Tehran. The two leaders also addressed the U.S.-brokered Israel-Hamas ceasefire, which has largely held but remains at risk of collapsing before reaching its next stage. Trump said he wanted to move to the second phase of the agreement “as quickly as we can,” adding, “But there has to be a disarming of Hamas.”
The ceasefire’s first phase began in October, two years after Hamas’ deadly 2023 attack on Israel that killed about 1,200 people. All but one of the 251 hostages taken then have been released. Netanyahu has said Israel will not advance to the next stage of the agreement until the remains of the final hostage, police officer Ran Gvili, are returned from Gaza.
Gvili’s parents met Monday with Netanyahu, Rubio, U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. They were expected to meet with Trump later in the day. “They’re waiting for their son to come home,” Trump said.
The talks come as Trump promotes a 20-point peace framework approved by the U.N. Security Council that calls for rebuilding Gaza under international supervision. Under the proposal, a “Board of Peace” chaired by Trump would oversee reconstruction and governance through a two-year renewable U.N. mandate.
